A Friday 13 story for Thursday

April 2 is the feast of St. Francis Paola, founder of the Order of Minims. I once met a Sister of St. Joseph whose name was Sr. Paola, which she insisted on pronouncing Pay-oh-la. It made me think of the illegal practice in the music industry of paying radio stations to play songs in order to drive up sales.

But that is not why I bring it up today. Instead it is because of this juxtaposition of Friday and the dread number, 13:

Devotion of the Thirteen Fridays

Pope Clement XII, in the brief "Coelestium Munerum Dispensatio" of December 2, 1738, promulgated an indulgence to all the faithful who, upon 13 Fridays continuously preceding the Feast of St. Francis of Paola (April 2), or at any other time of the year, shall, in honor of this Saint, visit a church of the Minims and pray there for the Church. In this brief, mention is made of a devotion which originated with St. Francis himself, who, on each of 13 Fridays, used to recite 13 Pater noster’s (Our Father's) and as many Ave Maria’s (Hail Mary's), and this devotion he promulgated by word of mouth and by letter to his own devout followers, as an efficacious means of obtaining from God the graces they desired, provided they were for the greater good of their souls.

One notes that the Minims, never a large group, almost died out and today exist mostly in Italy, making it difficult for most Catholics to make the required visit to a Minim church. There are fewer than 200 Minims today, but there are small communities in  other places. All Saints Catholic Church in Los Angeles, for example, is staffed by Minims.